Outreach Notice

Support Services Specialist (GS-342-6/7)

Green Mountain & Finger Lakes National Forests

Finger Lakes National Forest, Hector Ranger District - Hector, NY The Green Mountain & Finger Lakes National Forests will soon be advertising a Support Services Specialist (GS-342-6/7) located on the Finger Lakes National Forest in Hector, NY. The purpose of this Outreach Notice is to determine the potential applicant pool for this position and area of consideration for the advertisement. Primary Duties for this Position Include:

Office Management Support: As the Support Services Specialist (SSS) you are responsible for supporting the needs of the employees on the District, such as the procurement of supplies, office equipment maintenance, real and personal property inventories, and records management, collateral duty safety officer, etc...

Visitor Information Services: This position is equally

responsible for supporting the needs of the visitors to the District, thru publications that are available and how they are displayed in the front office, working as the ENFIA (Eastern National Forest Interpretive Association) Coordinator, selling permits and passes (Unit Collection Officer), answering phones and questions from visitors, and ensuring the front desk is adequately staffed.

Note: This position is responsible for the Supervision of one Visitor Information Assistant (GS- 1001-5) Volunteer Program Coordinator: Untapped potential exists in this area on the Forest, we routinely

have folks wanting to volunteer but not enough staff to work with them and get them started. This will be an emphasis area for the SSS to work on.

Environmental Education & Special Events Coordinator: The Forest participates in a number of

events each year, hosting a Youth Fishing Derby that had to be capped at 100 participants! The potential to reach a wide range of visitor and kids exists in the area, just need to seek out the opportunities to do so.

Other Duties as Assigned: The Hector Ranger District only has a staff of seven permanent full-

time employees: District Ranger (GS-13), Natural Resource Specialist (GS-11), Wildlife Biologist/Reserve Law Enforcement Officer (GS-9), 2 - Forestry Technicians (GS-5) (1 currently vacant), Support Services Specialist (GS-7) (currently vacant) and a Visitor Information Receptionist (GS-5) (currently vacant). Because we have such a small staff, everyone supports one another and pitches in where ever and whenever they can to help with various projects and program areas. In a lot of ways, this is what makes the Finger Lakes NF a special place to work and is truly a gift - you will always have someone ready and willing to help complete a project or assist in accomplishing what needs to get done. You also get to work in a variety of areas not within your “normal duties.” It’s also a beautiful place to work!

Duty Station: Hector, NY

The Green Mountain & Finger Lakes National Forests are actually two separate National Forests administered as one. The Green Mountain is located in Rutland, VT and the Finger Lakes is located in Hector, NY. Our Supervisors Office is located in Rutland, VT.

The Finger Lakes National Forest encompasses over 16,212 acres nestled between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. It is the only National Forest in the state of New York and is the second smallest National Forest in the Nation. We have over 30 miles of interconnecting trails that traverse gorges, ravines, pastures, and woodlands. Whether you are a hiker, cross country skier, camper, fishing or hunting enthusiast, snowmobiler, horseback rider, mountain biker, or wildlife watcher, the Finger Lakes National Forest will amaze you with its scenic beauty.

Don’t let us being a small forest fool you - we have a very diverse and active program of work. Everything you can do on a larger forest can and is being done on the Finger Lakes. This field season we are creating/recreating wetlands, grazing cattle, planting disease resistant American Elm Trees and Butternuts, treating for the invasive Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, working with Scout troops, interacting with visitors, and so one and so forth. Never a dull moment! About the Region

One of the largest tourism regions in the state, New York’s Finger Lakes covers 9,000 square miles from the southern shore of Lake Ontario to the Pennsylvania border and encompasses 11 parallel lakes spanning the center of New York State like a giant handprint. The most popular lakes located in the Finger Lakes region are: Canandaigua, Cayuga, Conesus, Owasco, Otisco, Honeoye, Keuka, Seneca and Skaneateles. Although each has a name of its own, these thin glacial lakes are most often

referred to as a group: the Finger Lakes.

This region includes two other famous waterways as well - the historic Erie Canal and Lake Ontario, one of America’s five, fresh-water Great Lakes - plus plenty of navigable rivers and more than 1,000 waterfalls. The 14 counties comprising the Finger Lakes region are Cayuga, Chemung, Cortland, Livingston, Monroe, Onondaga, Ontario,

Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, Wayne, and Yates.

From stunning scenery and important historic sites to fertile farmlands and world-class museums, from hundreds of charming villages to exciting urban centers in Rochester and Syracuse, the variety of experiences visitors can enjoy throughout the region is impressive. It is home to more than 100 wineries while offering four-season recreational activities of every description. By car or boat, whether biking or hiking: visitors soon discover that New York’s Finger Lakes can offer the perfect road

trip experience and that it is truly “Splendid from Any Direction!”

Community Information Rochester, Syracuse and Binghamton are all within a two-hour drive of the Forest, which is easily accessed from 1-90 and 1-81 and State Route 17. Local connections to our communities is important to us on the Finger Lakes National Forest. The forest falls within two counties, Seneca and Schulyer. Schulyer County, NY http://www.schuylercounty.us/

Seneca County, NY http://www.co.seneca.ny.us/

For more information please contact: Jodie L. Vanselow, District Ranger Hector Ranger District 5218 State Rte 414 Hector, NY 14841 (607) 546-4470 ext 314

OUTREACH NOTICE REPLY FORM Green Mountain and Finger Lakes NF

Hector, NY 14841 Support Services Specialist (GS-342-6/7)

Please indicate your interest in this opportunity by completing and submitting this form to: Jodie L. Vanselow, District Ranger jvanselow@fs.fed.us. Name: ___________________________________ Date: ________ E-Mail Address: ___________________________________________ Mailing Address: ________________ City, State Zip Code Telephone Number: Work ______________ Home: ______ Agency Employed with: ______________________ Type of appointment: Permanent ____ Temporary ____ Current Region/Forest/District or Job: _______________________________ Current Series and Grade: __________________________ Current Position/Title: ________________________________________ Purchasing Authority: YES____ NO_____ Collection Officer: YES____ NO_____ Statement of Interest: